Content security company, Sophos, was awarded top honours in TechTarget`s Information Security and TheInfoPro`s 2004 "Products of the Year Awards". Sophos received the gold award in the anti-virus/anti-worm category.
The article published in the December issue of Information Security comments that, "Sophos Anti-Virus isn`t just winning the gold award, it`s setting the standard for anti-virus excellence." Specifically, technical expertise, responsiveness and customer service were cited as key elements in the rating.
Sophos`s unique InterCheck technology and Remote Update features were also rated highly by business users, while enterprise customers interviewed also made special reference to Sophos`s anti-spam capability in its e-mail server/gateway product PureMessage.
"A recent analysis of 2004 threats identified 10 724 new viruses in 2004 alone, an increase of 51% from 2003. Given the speed at which new threats develop, organisations need to ensure their defences are being constantly updated and revised with the most current techniques. Sophos can be very proud to have been so recognised by those that matter most: our customers," says Brett Myroff, CEO of Sophos distributor, NetXactics.
Winners were selected by analysts from TheInfoPro who interviewed 416 security managers working in 273 companies, evaluating a total of 1 239 products. The resulting gold, silver and bronze winners were selected based on composite scores using the following criteria:
a. Vendor`s brand or reputation
b. Quality of product
c. Delivery of product as promised
d. Quality of technical support
e. Technical innovation
f. Strategic vision
g. Competitive positioning of product
h. Quality of the sales team
i. Interoperability
j. Ease of doing business with the vendor
"The true test of a product is how well it performs once the shrink-wrap is removed," says Larry Walsh, editor, Information Security. "For that reason, the Information Security `Products of the Year` Awards rely on the evaluations of the infosecurity managers actually using these products in their organisations.
"Each of the products and companies represented by the winners of the 2004 `Products of the Year` Awards were rated as delivering superior performance, functionality, usability and customer service. The Information Security 2004 `Products of the Year Awards` honour products that are in place, working as advertised to protect enterprise network infrastructures, instead of collecting dust on a shelf."
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A monthly magazine distributed to a qualified, controlled circulation of 60 000 IT security professionals, TechTarget`s Information Security is widely regarded as the single most authoritative source for in-depth coverage of security technologies, practices and trends. The magazine`s more than 100 advertisers include the leading vendors of security services and technologies, among them, IBM, Microsoft, Cisco, CA, RSA Security, Symantec and VeriSign.
TheInfoPro
TheInfoPro (TIP) investigates key technology sectors in six-month intervals or "waves" by interviewing hundreds of IT decision-makers, pre-screened for domain expertise, for an average of one hour each. Known as the "voice of the customer", thousands of IT professionals, technology providers and institutional investors rely on TIP research for robust data on vendor spending and ratings, technology adoption plans - overlaying the vendors poised to benefit - and rich narrative commentary. TIP studies the information security, storage, networking and server markets. Over 800 technology decision makers are members of the TIPNetwork, including IT decision-makers from JPMorgan Chase, BellSouth, Honeywell, P&G and Visa.
NetXactics
NetXactics is a South African-based company, focused on the provision of security solutions. It is the sole distributor in Sub-Saharan Africa for UK-based Sophos Plc, one of the leaders in the provision of anti-virus and anti-spam software for the corporate environment. For more information, visit NetXactics at www.netxactics.co.za.